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George Zimmerman to sell gun that killed Trayvon Martin

George Zimmerman, responsible for the controversial shooting of the unarmed black youth, starts the bidding at $5,000.

12 May 2016 15:55 GMT

Zimmerman's court acquittal for the killing of Martin sparked protests and a national debate about race relations [AP]

The man responsible for the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, in the US state of Florida is now auctioning off the pistol he used in the February 2012 killing.

In an interview with Orlando TV station WOFL, George Zimmerman said he had just got the pistol back from the US Justice Department, which took it after he was controversially cleared of any wrongdoing for the killing.

"And I thought it's time to move past the firearm," Zimmerman told the station. "And if I sell it and it sells, I move past it. Otherwise, it's going in a safe for my grandkids and never to be used or seen again."

The auction listing - for which the bidding starts at $5,000 - says a portion of the proceeds will go towards fighting what Zimmerman calls violence by the Black Lives Matter movement against law enforcement officers.

The bidding for the gun starts at $5,000 [Gary W Green/EPA]

It will also fund combating anti-gun rhetoric of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and ending the career of Angela Corey, the attorney who led the prosecution against Zimmerman, the listing says.

The listing ends with a Latin phrase that translates as "if you want peace, prepare for war."

Killing of Trayvon Martin

Zimmerman, now 32, said that he was defending himself when he shot and killed Martin, 17, in a gated community near Orlando.

Martin, who lived in Miami with his mother, was visiting his father at the time.

Zimmerman's court acquittal for the killing of Martin sparked protests and a national debate about race relations. The Justice Department later decided not to bring a civil rights case against Zimmerman.

Since then, Zimmerman has been charged with assault based on complaints from two girlfriends. In both cases, the girlfriends refused to cooperate and charges were dropped.

"The Trayvon Martin Foundation is committed to its mission of ending senseless gun violence in the United States," read a statement provided by the office of Benjamin Crump, who represents the Martin family. The statement was attributed to Tracy Martin, the teenager's father.

"This election season, we are laser-focused on furthering that mission. As such, the foundation has no comment on the actions of that person."